Marin County Flood Control and Water Conservation District
MINUTES OF THE
FLOOD CONTROL ZONE NO. 5 ADVISORY BOARD MEETING
HELD THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2015
STINSON BEACH COMMUNITY CENTER, BELVEDERE AVENUE
Advisory Board (AB) Members Present
Howard Schechter (HS) Chair
John Washington (JW) Vice Chair
Barry Harris (BH)
District Staff (Staff) Present
Hannah Lee, Associate Civil Engineer
Joanna Dixon, Assistant Engineer
Howard Schechter called the meeting to order at 6:35 p.m.
Item 1. Approval of Meeting Minutes: December 1, 2014
No changes recommended for the December 1 minutes.
Action by Board: Recommend approval of the meeting minutes for December 1.
M/S: JW, Ayes: All 3, Nay: None, Abstain: None
Item 2. Open time for items not on the agenda
Questions from members of the public regarding upcoming tax election on 3/3/15:
a) Q: Where do the grants and donations come from and how likely is it to get these funds?
A: Some private donations have already been offered, grant applications are possible, but
more effective if there is existing funding in place to contribute.
b) Q: What does it mean that the scope of work will be scaled to the available funds? What
assurances do we have that the work will happen?
A: Passing the tax measure will include two dredging events and ongoing maintenance of
the existing channel and sediment removal behind the Parkside Café.
c) Q: Won’t it be necessary to dredge the creek more than once every 10 years?
A: Matt O’Connor present and spoke to the flood modeling study.
d) Q: How deep would the flooding be without dredging the creek?
A: Flood depths are always variable depending on the intensity of the storm and any
landslides, etc. John Washington reviewed previous historical storm events and the
locations flooded including the community center and the flooding and damage to the Hwy
1 bridge.
e) Q: Is it possible to structure the tax so that property owners in the lower areas pay more
than those on the hill?
A: This was all considered during the development of the tax, but is set as is for the
upcoming election.
f) Comment from member of the public that the County spends too much money, and should
not use consultants.
Item 3. Zone Engineer’s Report
A. Storm Report
Joanna gave a summary of the maintenance at the sediment collection location behind the
Parkside Café. The February 6-8 storm event did not cause overtopping in the creek at the
sediment collection site, but that overtopping did again occur downstream within the Park
limits which caused flooding to some homes on Calle Del Pinos through the north parking
lot berm and flow through the dunes which washed out the Park service’s new discharge
location.
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FCZ5 AB Meeting Minutes
February 19, 2015
Marin County Flood Control and Water Conservation District
B. FEMA Community Rating System (CRS) Update
Joanna and Hannah presented the County’s efforts to apply and qualify for benefits offered
through the FEMA CRS program, which would include discounts to homeowner’s flood
insurance costs.
Item 4. Stinson Beach Flood Protection and Watershed Program Update
Joanna made available the Special Tax Fact Sheet and referenced the www.marinwatersheds.org
website for information about the upcoming tax measure. The election is scheduled for March 3,
2015.
Item 5. Zone 5 FY 2015-16 Budget Review
Joanna reviewed the proposed Budget for FY 2015-16. Discussion took place on how the advisory
board would function with just one meeting per year. HS asked if the advisory board could hold
meetings without County staff involved to save money. Hannah said she would look into the
regulations on that issue.
Action by Board: recommend approval of the Zone 5 budget for FY 2015-16.
M/S: JW Ayes: 2, Nay: 1, Abstain: None
Item 5. Next Meeting
Hannah recommended that the advisory board meet in May if the tax measure passes.
Action by Board: recommend next meeting be held the 3rd Thursday in May.
M/S: JW Ayes: All 3, Nay: None, Abstain: None
The next meeting is tentatively scheduled for May 21, 2015. Meeting adjourned at 8:00 p.m.
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FCZ5 AB Meeting Minutes
February 19, 2015